Grandma's Trip to Nevada

Grandma came to visit over the Fourth of July and Rod's birthday on the fifth, and we had such a nice time!

A festive spread

Dressed and waiting for Grandma's arrival

Yeay, she's here!

At the annual Fireman's Picnic at Pole Canyon Grove

At Lamoille Canyon

Check out all this snow - in July!

Plum tuckered out...

Robert's Ruby Lake Visit

Rod's dad came to visit us over Labor Day weekend. Fortunately, it coincided with Rod's RDO day, so Rod had a four day weekend, and we make the most of it!

Rod got off work early on Friday and we drove into Elko to pick him up at the airport. We took the dogs along, and got a cheap hotel room, had mexican (what else?), took advantage of a free art reception at the Northeastern Nevada Museum, then caught a movie.

The next day we got up and headed to Lamoille Canyon - one of the most beautiful places we've been here in NV. We definitely wanted to show Robert! It was a GORGEOUS day for a hike!

I was pretty proud of myself - hiking at over 9,000 feet at 8 months pregnant! I was definitely feeling it though - as was Rod's dad, not being used to the elevation. I definitely had a tougher time of it than last time we hiked it with Ambre, Brad and kids near the 4th of July - of course, that was two months ago! Needless to say, we didn't make it nearly as far this time. We did see the Clark's Nutcrackers again, however, which is always a treat, but struck out a second time on large ungulates (no mountain goats or bighorn sheep).

We were going to have lunch at the Pine Lodge Dinner House, but it was closed, so we fell back on one of our faves - Ruby Mountain Pizza Company. Then we headed over Harrison Pass, which Robert was astounded by, to Ruby Lake.

We spent the next three days lounging around the house and sightseeing on the refuge. He couldn't get over the scenery or the wildlife! I think during his visit he saw mule deer, pronghorn, porcupine, coyotes, waterfowl, wading/marsh birds, raptors, Great Basin rattlesnakes - although we did strike out on the Golden Eagles.

On one of our outings I took this photo of the refuge, which I absolutely love:

And we also had a big dust storm one evening, not a rare occurrence across the marsh:

We drove the auto loop twice, went snaking every night, toured the old Fort Ruby, and saw where the old Pony Express trail crosses Ruby Valley Road. We watched a couple of movies, lots of CNN, and just enjoyed each other's company, before I drove him back to the airport on Wednesday. It was a great visit!

Good Friends and Good Times

Our good friends Ambre and Brad Brewster, and their kiddos Owen and Addyson, came to visit us for 9 days! It was so nice to spend time with them - too bad the times are so few and far between these days. They flew into Salt Lake City on July 3, and we drove over and joined them that evening. We took advantage of the hotel's happy hour, then retired to the room and ordered pizza in for supper.

The next day we spent at the Hogle Zoo, which we were all impressed with. The habitats were ideal, the animals all seemed content, and best of all the zoo did a great job with conveying conservation messages - what I think should be the point of a zoo. The visitors were amazingly respectful - unbelievable, I didn't see ONE PERSON banging on the glass or saying something negative about the animals, which was a first for me!

After we left the zoo, we went to The Mayan for supper - they actually have cliff divers for entertainment while you eat! Even though it was a day early, we "celebrated" Rod and Brad's birthday (they share their day!) by eating a chocolate cake with a sprinkler in it.

Later that evening, Rod and I celebrated the 4th of July by watching a fireworks show from the top deck of our hotel.

The rest of the week was just really relaxing and especially enjoyable for me, having good friends around to talk with! We caught up on lots and had some good quality time - how I miss that! We went hiking, the boys went fishing, we toured the fish hatchery and Owen and Addyson got to feed the fish, Ambre and I went mammal-hunting on the roads at night, we watched a movie while the kids (and Brad!) were napping, we took the dogs for LOTS of walks (which both the dogs AND the kids, who got to walk them, really liked) - it was really, really nice.

Their final weekend here, we took them to Lamoille Canyon - we'd loved it when we visited with Mom and Dad and thought they would love it too. We had lunch first at a little tavern with a great front porch, and the weather was perfect.

We were hoping to find more mountain goats, or even better bighorn sheep, but no luck this time. However, the avalanche blocking the road was all cleared up, and we were able to drive to the top of the canyon and hike 2 miles to Lamoille Lake, a beautiful pristine alpine lake. Finally, Rod and I found our Clark's Nutcrackers - and there was a grove FULL of them!

Since we're about to be parents ourselves, it was particularly cute for me to watch Rod interact with the kiddos - he's gonna be a great dad!

Thanks again, Ambre, Brad, Owen and Addyson, for making the trip to come and visit us - it meant the world! Come anytime!

Our First Visitors to Ruby Lake

Mom and Dad flew out to visit us in late May/early June, and we were so excited to play hosts! They flew into Salt Lake City, the nearest airport to us (4-4.5 hours away), rented a car and drove out to Ruby Valley. They arrived on Friday May 28 in early evening. We had a busy time planned for them - just how we like it!


Mom had packed an entire carry-on suitcase full of plants, and I was fortunate to have their help in some of our yard beautification projects! They don't let grass grow under their feet - Mom and I got to work right away planting flowers out front! And even though it was almost June, it was COLD!




Here is the water feature I'd already installed in the flower bed, we just planted around it! I've had birds drinking and bathing from it, including a Lewis' Woodpecker, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, and Lazuli Buntings.

Rod had to contribute to the flower bed too with his own personal touch!

Dad, aka "Durvish Dad", helped around the house too, from washing cars to planting vegetables in the garden to hanging birdfeeders.

Saturday, their first full day, we headed to Lamoille Canyon, also in the Ruby Mountains but about 1.5 hours away. It was absolutely beautiful. We couldn't get that high up into the canyon, however, due to heavy snow pack covering the road.






We did get really close to a porcupine, who seemed completely unconcered with our presence...



... and we saw a whole herd of mountain goats!

Sunday we got up and headed towards the Utah border to Great Basin National Park, a little over 3 hours away. To do this, we headed south to Ely and traveled on Highway 50, the "Loneliest Highway in America".



However, we all agreed that the road taking us south out of Ruby Valley and through Long Valley was MUCH lonelier!




We did pass a small group of "wild horses" on the way.



These are very controversial out here. The BLM and the Humane Society of the United States are always fighting about these horses. They are truly feral horses, that have been living free on the open range for decades. There are many facets to the issue - from them not having adequate water or food on the open range and thus starving, to the case that they are destroying habitat, to the possibility that they are competing with native wildlife as well as cattle. As an ecologist, I totally see a case for the fact that these are non-native introduced species that shouldn't be here as they unnaturally alter the ecosystem and affect the wildlife living in it. However, for every feral horse out there there must be HUNDREDS of cows, so it seems ridiculous to me to take on the issue of eliminating horses for the minimal damage they may be causing, when the effect on the environment from cattle is astronomical. Until grazing is addressed, talking about the horses seems absurd.

Here we are, at GBNP!



We drove up Wheeler Peak scenic drive (at over 13,000 feet, it is the second tallest peak in Nevada) and debated hiking to the top, but here's what we encountered:



Hmmm... maybe we'd better not. Instead we found a lower elevation trail - Pole Canyon:



We stayed at the Silver Jack Inn, which was really a trailer converted into very simple rooms.




And we ate at the Lectrolux Cafe - an eclectic little restaurant/bakery/gifty shop that I loved!



Here, we celebrated Mom's birthday!



Monday we headed back to Ruby Valley, and Tuesday I had an OB appointment in Elko. While there, we visited the Northeast Nevada Museum and saw the original Pony Express cabin, which used to sit on the south end of the refuge.



We also ate at The Star - a Basque restaurant/hotel started one hundred years ago as a safe haven and socializing spot for Basque sheepherders who had settled the area. The food is served family style - cabbage soup, salad with a creamy garlic dressing, bread and butter, and french fries for all - plus whatever main course (usually a garlic-laden meat such as steak or lamb) you order. (Except for me - I just do the sides!)



We spent Wednesday - Friday bumming around the refuge. We got a tour of the Gallagher State Fish Hatchery, where I spotted a bird never before seen in Nevada (see following post). We planted my vegetable garden. We drove the refuge auto loop (more than once). We hiked Cave Creek trail, and walked the dogs around the refuge roads.



Dad hiked up to the top of the mountain behind our house. Mom helped me do some baby preparation. It was nice to just spend time together.

When driving the auto route, this Killdeer frantically hopped up and down, capturing our attention and luring us away from her nest - which we weren't sure about where it was located, but upon further investigation Dad found the four small speckled eggs, right in the middle of the road.

We also got some great looks of a Short-eared Owl!

Saturday, Mom, Dad and I headed to Salt Lake City, leaving Rod behind for a long three weeks by himself. We toured the Mormon/LDS Temple Square area in the middle of SLC. We had two very nice "sisters" who gave us a tour, and learned a lot about the Mormon religion. It was a great week!